The Surprises of Mui Ne

I got to go on a super adventure while we were in Mui Ne! Every little bear should do this... first we got to go on a jeep ride. Our jeep was green and gold which was beary useful because there were often a lot of jeeps in the same area... but ours was easy to pick out.

Wheeeee!!!! I must say though... they did not have little bear-sized seat belts so I didn't actually get to ride like this when we were driving... It was the backpack for me!

Our first stop was something called the Fairy Stream. Hmm... it just looks like red water and red sand.

But... that's not all - I was supposed to walk up this stream. Oooohhh... little bears and water, especially red water do not mix!

 But there were some sand banks in the stream, so I managed. And when it was too deep, I got Mama to carry me.

Oh wow... a big water buffalo/cow thing! It was tied up so we were safe but they sure are big!

We came around a corner and... boom!!! Look at that!!! There are red and white sandstone cliffs on one side and jungle on other! It's like I am caught between two lands. Beary cool!

And the sandstone was worn into beary weird shapes that looked almost like organ-pipes or stalagmites...

I tried to climb them but... it was tough going and I got stuck many times and had to get rescued.

So that's where all the red water is coming from - it's from the red sand and red sandstone!

That also explains the red rock that I found on the beach the other day. It must have come from here! This is a beary cool place and I had a blast!

Oh and to top it all off... there were little jungle cafes where you could get... Pure Forest Honey!!!!! Now that is perfect for a tired little bear!

On the way back (burp... excuse me)... we saw some beautiful purple flowers.

I slept in the jeep (little bears do like to sleep after eating honey) for the next leg of the trip. And when I woke up... well... let's just say, I was a little stunned... Uh... where are we??

Seriously... where are we??? Did we fly to the Sahara and I missed it??? Do I have honey-induced amnesia??? Mama thought this was soooo funny.

It turns out that we are still in Vietnam... and this place is called the White Sand Dunes. Wow... I feel like a desert adventurer (not a dessert adventurer - although I can be that too, if it involves honey). I think... I think... my new nic-name is... Alexander the Great!!! Because he was a guy who wandered through deserts, and his name was Alexander!

Oh look... we are still in the real world - there is a lake over there and I can see forested hillsides. It's just beary odd to find dunes like this after all the jungles I've seen!

We weren't alone out there... there were tonnes of other people riding ATV's and plodding through the sand. It was beary hot!!! Our next stop was the Red Sand Dunes - but I was too pooped to crawl out of the backpack anyhow. They were close to the road and the humans rented Crazy-Carpet type pieces of plastic and sledded down the dunes. It was apparently beary sandy (Hey!!! That's my name!!) and dirty. Not at all like snow-sledding!

Whew... after being so hot and pooped, I thought I'd try a favourite Vietnamese drink - iced coffee. Nope... not to my taste - an iced hot chocolate would have been better! Iced Vietnamese coffee is made with espresso and condensed milk - it's beary strong!

And then... some time to relax by the pool!! What a great day...